gas heater

Have an Avalon "tree of life" natural gas heater and we were having trouble with it staying lit. Our local "heating" specialist serviced it twice resulting in a 200$ bill and continuing problems with it staying lit. Finally I ordered the switch from Avalon and they mailed it to me. I had an auto mechanic friend put the switch in for me- the one he put in was 10 amp and the one he replaced was 5 amp. My question, would this difference cause the stove to do what it did? I'm thinking the original rocker switch simply went bad and then replacing it with a lesser amp switch caused continued problems. I plan to talk to our local "specialist" and would like to be harmed with some understanding. Thanks for taking time to9 read this- Paul

so the pilot is on, and stays lit?

the on/off switch can easily be bypassed with a short section of wire (or even a paper clip) for testing
switch amperage shouldn't matter as far as i know, it is a low voltage system, with less than 700mV passing thru it,

yes the pilot stays lit. I don't want to bypass the switch- just wondering how a 5 amp switch as opposed to the 10 amper ould affect the stove. Paul

So you're saying the new 10 amp switch works, and you got it from Avalon?

The amp rating of the switch should make no difference; the switch is probably only handling a couple of milliamps. However, it needs to be a good quality switch to pass the current with no resistance. The original switch likely was an electronics quality switch with silver or gold contacts and the one the service guy put in may have been a cheapo made for higher voltage where a bit of resistance might not matter so much.

well that would tell you if it is a switch problem, dont you want to figure out what the issue is?
or just want ammo to go after the service guy?

ps, good post FanMan!

Of course I want to "go after the service guy" - if he installed improper parts. but I think FanMan answered my question and it was a "cheap switch". What else do you think I should look for. The stove has responded perfectly since the proper switch was installed. Paul

Dave Gault- guess you're not too impressed with someone "who goes after the service guy", probably because you're a service guy. Anyways, the company in this little town has a very bad reputation and eventually will fold because of word of mouth. We were grossly overcharged and I have had problems in the past as have at least 2 of my friends. You failed to respond to my question as to what else I should look for. I would like to resolve the problem with this stove for good. At this date, the switch has righted the stove. Thanks- Paul

^LOL

I meant no offence there victorytea

yes i've been a service guy for many years, and managed service departments too.
i also bend over backwards to take good care of my customers, and if my guy had installed the wrong switch i'd be out to resolve the problem immediately. i guarantee my customers satisfaction!

guess i'm confused--if the stove is working perfectly now, then i dont think there is anything else to look for ?
\
dg